Golf players vary in size, skill, style, and preference. Therefore, different golf equipment suits the needs of different players. To meet these needs, golf club manufacturers produce clubs in various configurations, including different head designs and shaft lengths.
Simple methods for custom fitting a golfer to the most existing suitable golf clubs have been discussed in the art. For instance, one may specify which pre-existing components are to be used in building the golf clubs, or one may select design parameters for hand grinding golf clubs. For example, Titleist® allows users to select custom shafts for their clubs, and the Titleist® FittingWorks program allows selection of the best fit equipment from tee to green.
Various other custom fitting methods have also been in the patent literature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,123 discloses a computer implemented method for fitting golf clubs for golfers to accommodate the swing behavior of an individual's golf swing using combinatorial logic at both global and local levels, and the suggested golf club specifications are derived at the intersection of two different computer models. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,041,014 discloses a method for matching a golfer with a particular golf club style by using a golfer's performance characteristics to infer an appropriate golf club style. Moreover, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0166757 discloses a method for selecting optimum club head design parameters using lookup tables and mathematical algorithms.
Although the aforementioned publications disclose how golf clubs may be custom fitted to a golfer, the prior art does not disclose a graphical process or fuzzy logic process that allows a consumer to custom design a set of golf clubs.